In this day and age, the public and private spheres of a relationship are often seen as defined, binary and mutually exclusive. It seems like an almost unwritten rule that the tender moments and the vulnerabilities shared between couples should remain hidden, impenetrable to the outside world.
However, Arturo Bamboo (AKA Dutch duo Arthur Groeneveld and Bamboo van Kampen) are no normal couple. These partners in life and art are well accustomed to exposing the trials and tribulations of their relationship through their photographic work, revealing to the beholder nuances and sensibilities that typically remain behind closed doors.
It was their first photographic endeavour, entitled Summer Diary, that introduced us to the couple’s beguiling work. Published last year, the photobook was a sweet ode to the unadulterated beauty of Europe in summer, and a physical documentation of time they spent alone together while travelling.
In some ways, Arturo Bamboo’s upcoming photography project, Privé, is an extension of their first — there is still a deep appreciation of the naked form, lensed with a hazy, dream-like quality, and the exposure of candid moments in their relationship remains central to the imagery of the pair. However, this new offering — presented in a newspaper format — delivers a darker and more sensual insight into the inner-workings of the duo’s dynamic and the intricacies of a modern-day coupling. Arturo Bamboo tell SLEEK, “After a summery book that had a very dreamy and colourful story, we wanted to show something more intimate, raw and sensual”. And the publication most definitely succeeds in its endeavour, helped along by the play of light and shadow that defines the entirely black and white forms and “soft lines” of the pair. This monochrome aspect of the images is intended to “enable [the viewer] to really focus on the nuances and beauty of the human body without any distractions,” enhancing the sensuality of the exposed skin and flesh.
The frank and flawed nature of the photographs adds further depth to the personal nature of the publication. “The photos are untouched and show everything reality offers, especially because of the large newspaper format,” Arturo Bamboo explain. And indeed, with every mottled close-up and every blurred abstraction, the sense of imperfection and vulnerability is heightened as the reader flicks through the zine. The purposeful use of newsprint paper is intended to expand upon this idea: “The characteristics of the paper – so thin and delicate, it will crack quickly, the colour will fade – fits in a way to the vulnerability of a human body.”
There’s something rather alluring about a work solely interested in providing an honest documentation of the deep connection between lovers, without an ounce of superficiality or human vanity in sight. The flaws and imperfections of daily life reflected within Privé not only offer a deeper understanding of the individual bond between two young artists, but also of the very notion of intimacy itself.
The zine will be available to buy at www.arturo-bamboo.com from October.